TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Andrew Steele started feeling the pain near the end of October or early in November, but he played in the Alabama basketball team's first six games. The Crimson Tide won them all.

But then the pain became unbearable and he eventually needed surgery to fix what was diagnosed as a sports hernia. He came back Saturday, and Alabama won.

But while he was sidelined, the Crimson Tide lost five of six games in December.

Talk about painful.

"For me to not be able to physically help my teammates was really tough," the fifth-year senior guard said. "The whole time, I think I just tried to be encouraging and even try to lead the best that I could. It was a lot better feeling to be out there with them physically to help them navigate the road we were going through."

In this video, see and hear Steele talk more about the pain he has endured. He and junior point guard Trevor Releford accompanied coach Anthony Grant to a press conference Friday, the day before a noon CST home game against Tennessee (ESPN2).